Ore grinding mill



May 13, 1958 B. J. PUGH 2,834,555

ORE GRINDING MILL Filed Dec. 30, 1954 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY May 13, 1958 B. J. PUGH 2,834,555

ORE GRINDING MILL Filed Dec. 30, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3/ 34 30 9 3 I w 34 &K W m I 1 Z INVENTOR 1 5? .6 fis/vuflm/w J 1006 ATTORNEY United States Patent Gfilice 2,834,555 Patented May 13, 1958 ORE GRINDING MILL Benjamin J. Pugh, Helena, Mont. Application December 30, 1954, Serial No. 478,660

Claims. (Cl. 241-205) This invention is an ore crusher or mill adapted particularly for crushing and grinding to any desired fineness any rock material or ore in a more facile and economical manner than has heretofore been proposed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ore crusher constructed and operated in such manner as to greatly reduce slimes heretofore proving troublesome and objectionable, and to ultimately result in a finely divided or crushed product forfurther separation procedure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an ore crushing mill of that type wherein the ore is mixed with water during the crushing operation, and wherein the ore, with a minimum expenditure of power, is operated upon to bring about a more finely divided product for further processing than has hereto-fore been possible with the greater expenditure of power and in a considerably lengthened time.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an ore mill of the rotating shoe type, and wherein the structure supporting and rotating the shoes is so constructed and assembled as to insure an even and smooth rotation of the movable ptrts with a minimum of energy, in such manner as to minimize the wear of the various parts, and yet will prove most effective in the production of a finely divided product for further processing.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an ore mill constructed in accordance with the present invention, the cover plate being removed,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the device as shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view showing the manner in which the fixed and rotatable shoes are constructed and cooperate with one another in bringing about the improved grinding action,

Fig. 41's a side or edge elevation of one of the sectional shoes, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the shoe illustrated in Fig. 4-.

The crusher of my invention includes a tank of substantially cylindrical form having side walls 6 rising from a fixed base-7. The lower part of this tank is surrounded 'by a sheet metal splash ring indicated at 8, having an annular cover represented at 9. The space 10 between the splash ring and the adjacent wall 6 of the tank provides a chamber to receive the product of the mill.

The upper end of the tank is closed by a cover indicated at 11, which cover may be made in sections as shown in Fig. l, properly secured over the upper end of the tank in any desired manner, and this cover is provided with a central opening 12 which communicates with a hollow or cylindrical standard 13 rigidly secured at its upper end to the cover 11 centrally thereof and which terminates at its lower end above the bottom 7 of the tank.

Rotatably mounted upon the standard 13 is the tubular shaft 14 rising centrally from a circular head plate 15 having reenforcing webs 16 connected with the tubular shaft 14 for reenforcement purposes. The upper end of the tubular shaft 14 has atfixed thereto a master gear 17 in mesh at diametrically opposite points with elongated pinions 18 mountedin suitable bearings 19 in a support 20 within the tank and also in similar bearings 21 aflixed to the cover 1-1 at their upper ends. The upper ends of the shafts which support these pinions have horizontally disposed bevel gears 22 secured thereto which mesh with bevel pinions 23 affixed to a power shaft 24 mounted in suitable bearings 25 on the cover of the tank, which shaft may be driven by a suitable motor, not shown.

Mounted within the tank and upon the bottom thereof are sectional grinding shoes 26. These shoes will be formed of any desired metal or other material capable of withstanding the grinding action to which they must necessarily be subjected in ore or rock comminuting processes, and are formed in sections substantially as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In the present instance, four of these sections are provided, and are so shaped as when assembled properly in the bottom of the tank they provide a circular surface, undulated as will be hereinafter detailed, to provide an anvil upon which the crushing operation takes place. It will be observed, particularly with reference to Figs. 3 and 4, that the major surfaces of these anvil shoes incline in an upward direction from the outer edge thereof to a point inwardly of'the opposite end, where the said surface is connected with the extreme opposite end of the shoe by a wall or surface 27 disposed at a substantially 45 degree angle with the bottom of the tank. These anvil or fixed shoes are firmly secured to the tank bottom 7 in any desired manner, such as by bolts, indicated at 28. It will also be observed, particularly with reference to Fig. 3, that the inclined end wall 27 of a shoe 2-6 coincides at its extremity with the lower edge of the next companion shoe, so as to bring about a gradually and upwardly inclined elongated grinding face 29 reaching its height at the point 30, after which it declines at a 45 degree angle to the end of the shoe. Each of the anvil or fixed shoes is constructed in a similar manner entirely around and concentric with the tank 6.

The head plate 15 has secured to its lower face a plurality of sectional grinding shoes 31, secured rigidly to the plate in any approved manner as by bolts 32. The shoes 31 correspond in all respects on their lower faces with the coacting upper faces 27-2930 of the anvil or fixed shoe-s except in reverse. It is obvious, therefore, that when the shoes 31 (Fig. 3) move in a rotary direction to the left in said figure, the elongated lower faces of shoes 31 will slide uponthe corresponding upper faces 29 of the fixed or bottom shoes until the points 33 reach the points 30 of the fixed shoes, whereupon the 45 degree faces 34 of the upper shoes slide down the corresponding faces 27 of the anvil shoes until the points 33 reach the bottoms of the inclined faces 27. It is obvious, therefore, that any ore or other substance interposed between the faces of the shoes will be subjected to a grinding force sufiic-ient to finely divide or comminute such material, but the possibility of any of such material becoming pocketed is entirely obviated. This is because of the inclined walls 27--34 of the cooperating anvil and rotating shoes, which surfaces permit a gradual dropping of the upper shoes to their lowest point and hence grinding or comminuting any material which may have tended to gather on either the walls 27 or the lower portions of the surfaces 29.

Immediately in the center of the tank bottom 7 is a shaft seat represented at 35 securely anchored in position by bolts as at 36, which is preferably circular in form.

and which has outwardly and downwardly inclined walls 37 to direct or deflect material from the interior of the hollow standard 13 to the grinding surfaces of the shoes heretofore described.

' The side walls of the tank 6 are provided with a plurality of openings indicated at 38 disposed entirely around the walls and closed by screening or other foraminous material of proper mesh indicated at 39. These openings are disposed well above the bottom of the tank as shown more particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In operation, the ore, rock or other material to'be ground is introduced to the machine through the central opening 12, together with water by means of the water feed pipe 40. This material gravitates to the bottom of the hollow standard and intothe area at the bottom there of immediately adjacent to the grinding shoes. As the power shaft 24 rotates, the bevel pinions 23 drive the bevel gears 22 which, in turn, rotate the elongated pinions 18 which are in mesh with the master gear 17 affixed to the sleeve or hollow shaft 14. The rotary motion thus applied to the shaft is transmitted to the head plate 15 and to the shoes 31, and the mixture of ore and water entering between the surfaces of the anvil and rotatable shoes is subjected to a rubbing and grinding action to bring about comminution of the solid materials. As has been "before stated, there is no opportunity for pocketing of any of these materials, due to the particular formation, construction and coaction of the particularly formed coacting surfaces of the fixed and grinding shoes. As the ground material, mixed with water, rises, it passes out i of the tank 6 through the openings 33, being screened in so doing to permit particles of undesirable size getting into the chamber 10. The finely divided material in the water solution may then be led off fro-m the chamber for such further treatment as may be desired or required.

It will be understood that the size mesh of the screen or foraminous material 39 will be determined by the fineness desired. It is also obvious that the mill thus con structed will, with a minimum of power, greatly increase production in a minimum of time and with the least pos sible wear either of the grinding shoes or of the gears. By providing drive pinions at diametrically opposite sides of the master gear, it is apparent that a balanced rotation of the central shaft is at all times maintained, thus eliminating the opportunity of the shaft becoming unduly Worn or out of true. The contents of the chamber 10 may be removed therefrom through the sluice 41 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

I claim:

1. In a crushing mill, a tank, a hollow, standard secured r centrally within said tank and receiving directly the material to be crushed and having communication at its lower end with said tank, shoes fixed in the bottom of said tank and surrounding said standard, a hollow shaft rotatably mounted on said standard terminating at its lower end above the bottom of said tank, an outwardly directed flange at the lower end of said shaft, grinding shoes secured to said flange and resting in contact with said fixed shoes, said fixed and grinding shoes having inclined grinding elements upon their abutting surfaces, said tank having openings in its side walls spaced from the bottom of said tank, means for rotating said shaft, means for admitting liquid directly to the interior of said standard, and a circular member secured to the bottom of said tank beneath said standard and provided with an outwardly and downwardly inclined circular wall to direct and deflect material and liquid from the interior of the hollow standard to the grinding surfaces of the shoes.

2. In a crushing mill, a tank, crushing shoes fixed in the bottom of said tank, a hollow standard. extending into said tank concentrically therewith and from the top thereof and receiving directly the material to be crushed, said standard terminating above the bottom of said tank, a hollow shaft enclosing said standard and capable of reciprocating and rotary movement thereon, a flange at the lower end of said shaft, grinding shoes secured to the lower face of said flange and resting upon said fixed shoes, the engaging faces of said shoes having complementary inclined surfaces, a gear affixed to the upper end of said shaft, elongated pinions secured in said tank on opposite sides of said shaft and in parallelism therewith, said pinions in mesh with said gear, means for driving said pinions, means for introducing liquid to the'interior of said standard, and a circular member secured to the bottom 1 of said tank beneath said standard and provided with an outwardly and downwardly inclined circular wall to direct and deflect material from the interior of the hollow standard to the grinding surfaces of the shoes.

3. In a crushing mill, a tank, a hollow standard depending from the upper end of said tank and terminating above the bottom thereof, a hollow shaft enclosing said standard, fixed shoes secured to the bottom of said tank concentric with said standard, said shoes having gradually and upwardly inclined surfaces extending from one end thereof and terminating inwardly from the opposite end of said shoes, downwardly inclined surfaces connecting the maximum thickness of said shoes with the opposite ends thereof, grinding shoes carried by said shaft and having their lower faces provided with gradually inclined crushing surfaces corresponding to the gradual surfaces of said fixed shoes, the inner ends of said surfaces terminating in angular surfaces corresponding to the crushing surfaces of said fixed shoes, said standard adapted to receive material to be crushed, means for admitting liquid to said standard, and means for rotating said shaft.

4. In a crushing mill, a tank, a shaft mounted for rotary and reciprocatory movement vertically within said tank, means for rotating said shaft, grinding shoes fixed in the bottom of said tank concentric with said shaft, a head on the lower end of said shaft, grinding shoes secured to said head concentric with said shaft and resting upon said bottom shoes, said shoes adapted to operate upon material disposed between them, the major portions of the abut-ting faces of said shoes disposed parallel to each other and in upwardly inclined planes from one end of each of said shoes in the direction of rotation of said head, coacting parallel minor crushing surfaces on each shoe at the opposite end thereof disposed at substantially 45 degrees angle to the axis of rotation of said head whereby the major and minor crushing surfaces of the fixed and movable shoes are disposed in parallelism with each other respectively, and means for admitting liquid between said shoes.

5. A crushing mill as defined in claim 2, wherein the sides of said tank are provided with spaced openings disposed above the lower end of said standard, and a wall surrounding said tank and of a size to extend above said openings to provide an annular chamber for receiving ground material in the liquid solution rising above the grinding shoes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 949,982 Histed Feb. 22, 1910 1,025,185 Gruss May 7, 1912 1,139,790 Miller May 18, 1915 1,247,293 Levit Nov. 20, 1917 1,627,506 Hamey May 3, 1927 2,558,156 Pugh June 26, 1951 

